Bella Black
Chiaroscuro
( key | ar | oh | scoo | roh )
Gallery 2
12 April - 7 May, 2023
“from the Italian words chiaro, meaning bright or light, and oscuro, which means dark; method of painting shadows and a single light source to make photorealistic paintings with value and depth.”
Mixing street edge with technical calibre, Chiaroscuro explores the inspirations of tattooist and emerging visual artist Bella Black.
Electric, vibrant and visceral, the collection draws a line from her lighter early work in digital hyper-realism to a recent focus on darker contemporary impressionistic portraiture.
The works explore the journey of feminine form and energy with recurring themes of agency, transcendence, and control.
Bella Black has worked as a professional artist and graphic designer in the ACT and NSW since completing her Bachelor of Graphic Design at University of Canberra in 2014. She completed a scholarship at the National Gallery in 2009, working with Mike Parr, and currently works as a tattooist specialising in black and grey realism and micro portraiture at Tattoo Power in Mitchell.